Coronation
by realtrashwriting
Summary: The road back to Camelot is bumpy, and the path to Camelot's redemption is more so, but Tedros and Agatha will start it off right with a coronation. And what a coronation it will be.
1. Chapter 1

**Diclaimer: I do not own The School for Good and Evil**

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 **Chapter 1: The Arrival**

It was not what she expected. The once glittering castles of Camelot appeared yellowed and dusty, more of a peasant village than a powerful kingdom when bathed in moonlight. The people seemed stuck in their evening routine: drunkards dipping their red faces out bar windows at midnight and shouting out half-hearted praise as their young prince graced their filthy streets with his princess. Others still, however, glared at the sparkling carriage, no doubt reminding them of a golden age that had long since passed. Their annoyance and rage was smoldering from within their vessel, and Agatha shirked away from the view, flinching from the curtain when a particularly vicious old woman aimed a tomato at the blue and white paint.

"You would think," she began carefully, "that they would be glad to see you."

"Some of them are, I think," said Tedros, throwing a look at Merlin whom sat across the cabin from them eating a perfect, hat-made blueberry muffin as a midnight snack. "I haven't seen them since I arrived at the School, but somehow I expected more...excitement."

"It is nighttime, dear boy, but none the less, times have changed since you left for the School for Good and Evil. Even the Camelot you barely remembered has changed in the last two years."

"Well then I guess it'll be our place to try and fix it." Agatha's eyes were drawn to their intertwined hands as he squeezed their connection and smiled at her. She tried to smile back, but it wasn't genuine enough to fool him. "What is it?"

"It's nothing. Just me worrying, as usual."

"If it's important to you then it's important to me. My coronation is tomorrow and that'll make me a King and, by right, you'll be a Queen. If there's something we need done, I'll make sure we can do it."

"That's the thing...wouldn't we need to be married for me to be queen?"

Despite the fact that she was his true love, that he was undoubtedly her prince, she cringed at the thought of marriage, something her own mother had never experienced. How was she to know what to do or where to go or how to act? She'd likely have to take lessons on how to improve her ghastly manners and fix her posture. To have so much change so soon… She knew Tedros wouldn't force her hand, but he wouldn't have to. Whatever tutors that she would have to deal with wouldn't be his idea but the idea of his advisers.

"Then we'll get married eventually." He yawned. "I still don't see the problem."

"You never do," she grumbled, watching Reaper paw at some of Merlin's hat food hesitantly.

"Be nice," came the wizard's voice. His eyes twinkled with knowing. "The pair of you have to come to some kind of agreement soon, but you won't have to rush it. Camelot isn't eager for a queen, but they do need a king, one that will fix what Arthur inflicted."

"Of course." Tedros puffed up his chest proudly although it was marred by the tired droop of his eyes.

"What about Guinevere and Lancelot?" asked Agatha. "Tedros can't revoke the bounty until he's crowned tomorrow. Will they be in hiding?"

"It's all been taken care of," laughed Merlin. "For someone so young, you are very thorough, Agatha."

"Thanks, I guess." She glanced away, a bit uncomfortable with the praise. "Do you think I could hide with them?"

"Of course-"

"No-"

Merlin and Tedros looked at one another, before one of them extended a withered hand. "You may speak first."

Tedros nodded and turned to her, taking both pale hands into his own. "What do you mean hide? Don't you want to be next to me when I'm crowned?"

"You're not the problem," she grumbled sourly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Having a coronation is fine and dandy, but this isn't a private ceremony, Tedros, it's public. Meaning everyone else will be there and just stare at me, wondering what you could have been attracted to. You remember what I said before, didn't you? I don't know how to be a queen and your people will never accept me. Even if they come to respect me, I doubt they'd ever truly like me. The last queen they had was your mother and she was perfect."

"Besides the running away part," he admitted, "but I already said that I don't care about that. We're together, and they can't change that. If they've read your story, then they know what I see in you. So I want you by my side. It's something important and you deserve to be able to witness it." He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Please?"

"Are you sure I can't just wait with your mother?" she attempted weakly. "I don't want her to be lonely. It's just been her and Lancelot for so long..."

"The Lady of the Lake has always been there. And M visited them every year. They can last another day alone together, don't you think?" he prodded with hope, although his blue eyes held all of his usual stubbornness and strength. If she resisted he would fight her for it, and she was touched that her presence meant so much to him.

"One night can't hurt," she agreed, relaxing into his shoulder, resolved not to glance out the window again. "Tedros?"

"Yes?"

"Will Camelot really be okay?"

"I'm sure it will be. It'll take a lot of time and effort and planning...not to mention that our story may have helped to erase some of the stigma. That much should make trading between the kingdoms a bit smoother."

"Unless, they think that trading with us may invoke Sophie's wrath."

"I think they'll be more eager to trade with us to avoid Sophie's wrath," he chuckled. "That girl can be fiercely protective when she wants to be."

"All part of her charm."

"To have the greatest witch Evil has ever seen watching out for us has never sounded so good."

"I wouldn't be too hasty with that, dear boy. Not everything is so straightforward." They jumped apart at the old man's baritone, one that now filled the carriage with sounds of mirth. "Forgotten I was here, had you? I don't blame you. Young love is a powerful thing to ignore, although it would be in your best interest to not act so love struck; not yet at least."

"We're not love struck," the prince choked out, flushed.

"You're almost as bad as your mother and her love. They act like they're your age," mused Merlin, "but enough talk. We'll be pulling up soon. I'll be off trying to prepare for the ceremony. I have a feeling that I'll be dealing with the food."

"Thank god," sighed Tedros.

"Either way, the people will need excitement from you, Tedros, and courage. Plenty of it." Their momentum slowed and Agatha felt a small jolt in the carriage as it came to a halt. "Make sure you save extra for your princess. She'll be needing some." He winked at her and she did her best to shoot him a winning smile which really just looked like a sad smirk.

The footman opened the door and gestured for them to exit, politely extending a hand to Agatha. She took it in hers and took her first steps onto Camelot's dusty grounds, the whole of the castle before her. Up close, she found it slightly more beautiful than before, and twice as rusted. What she had taken for yellow had just been a dull gold under the moon, which shone brighter than ever in the sky. The pale blue of the tiled roof seemed to be cracked and deteriorating while the once pristine white bricks took on a more gray complexion. The grandness of the building was unparalleled however. It was as if multiple churches had been strung together, and the castle held a similar air of reverence.

"Welcome to Camelot, princess," he said with a broad grin. Agatha tried to smile back but was almost immediately hustled into the building by a swarm of eager maids, each one fussing about a different aspect of her. They were gushing over how beautiful she was (a lie, clearly), how excited they were to have her as their princess, how impressed they were that she would be marrying Tedros soon. The princess threw a desperate look back at her prince which was received by a chuckle and a cute wave. Clearly, she would be on her own in this fight.

Perfect.

Four flights of stairs and a hot bath later, Agatha was being cornered by two of her newly assigned personnel maids; Anna and Ella. Both were relatively fair, and had seemed kinder than the nymphs that had given her a vigorous scrubbing under her fairy godmother's instruction. The dark haired woman were advancing on her. In their possession was her sparkling crown and a sky blue dress that looked just as uncomfortable as her old pinafore used to be.

"Isn't there anything darker?" she asked, resisting the urge to run as they backed her into a wall.

"It is customary for a princess to wear this for a king's coronation. We must make sure it fits and make any necessary adjustments before the ceremony tomorrow."

"That doesn't look like it fits at all," she pointed out, "and the crown... I won't need it. I'll be staying right here."

"But you won't be," protested Anna, taking a slow step towards her.

"Look, I'm really tired and I'm sure you're both sleepy as well, so why don't you go back to your rooms and sleep and I'll just go to bed?"

"In that? But princess, there is a much more suitable sleeping gown that you can wear. We can fetch it for you if you desire."

"You know what?" said Agatha, seizing the opportunity to get rid of them, "Yes, please."

Enthused to be of use, both girls curtsied and quitted the room leaving both the gown and the tiara on her now very large bed. Reaper was curled up in the center of it as if determined to have the entire mattress to himself and Agatha placed herself very carefully onto the corner, taking the crown into her hand. She had worn it practically non-stop since it had been given to her and almost missed having it around her head. Her fingers gravitated to the diamonds and caressed each curve and corner with affection. Her chest was filled with a warmth at thought of Guinevere and her son, a son that Agatha had come to love and cherish.

With a soft smile, she slipped beneath the covers, giving Reaper enough space to feel comfortable and placed the diadem on her bedside table.

Its glittering form under the moonlight was the last thing she saw before heading promptly to sleep.

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 **Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a quick comment in the review box below if you have time and I hope you have an awesome day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own The School for Good and Evil**

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 **Chapter 2: Lost for the Moment**

Waking up to her smiling maids in her face forced an unwanted scream from her throat. Both Anna and Ella balked at her clear fright and seemed even more put off when their soon-to-be king burst through her bedroom door, blearily brandishing his sword. "Step away!" he roared as best he could, swinging it to separate the women from his beloved. "Agatha! What's happened?!"

"It's fine." She scrambled out a bed and forced the sword down, away from her frightened maids who bowed their apologies and scampered from the room. "Tedros, I'm fine, honestly." She eased the sword out of his hand, gauging his fair reaction like it was a firecracker about to go off. Only, it never went off. It flared before dying down and fading like a weak candle. He just gave her a dopey smile and fell in a manner so like a faint that Agatha nearly snickered. "What's wrong with you?" Guiding her prince to the bed, she pulled him up on it and tucked a pillow beneath his head.

"Mmm, Agatha?"

"Yes?"

Her fingers brushed back golden strands from his face whilst baby blues roved her face in a haze of sleepy adoration. "Did I save you?"

"Um…" Agatha glanced at the open door where her two maids had exited. They peeked at her around the corner and she flashed a half-hearted smile, motioning for them to leave while they could. "Yes, you did. Sort of."

"That's good."

He hummed into her thigh quite pleased with this answer. Agatha wasn't sure what to do with affection this earlier in the morning. Living with Tedros in Gavaldon had been similar. Despite waking up multiple mornings with fighting and petty squabbles, there had been a few odd ones, particularly in the first few weeks of their freedom, when she would wake up to the fingers of her prince running through her thin hair with loving care. He'd coo her awake, marveling at some feature of her that she was never able to see in her reflection. "Tedros?" she asked softly and found him blinking up at her with drowsy attention. He looked adorable.

"Hmm?"

"You look a little strange," she replied instead, easing him up onto a pillow. "What time did you sleep last night?"

"Nope. Too busy."

"Too busy? Tedros, your coronation is today! You needed all the sleep you could get."

"But-"

"You're exhausted." She should have known better. To have her prince rush into her room still wearing their school blazer with half-hearted strength should have been a dead give away. Her hands fluttered about the crown of this head "Why don't you rest a bit?"

"You're cute when you worry."

She flushed and got to her feet in a rush, nightgown slapping at her ankles. "You are clearly sleep deprived," she muttered, grabbing the duvet and throwing it over him. "You're staying here and I'll come get you when it's time to go. Queen's orders."

"So picky." Having him concede, however much sass she received in the process, was surprising enough. She inched away from her prince in his obedient slumber and slipped into the bathroom. He had been up all night? Surely Merlin would-

But Merlin was busy preparing for the coronation, she reminded herself, and would be unable to help the both of them.

After cleaning and donning her old pinafore, she stared at her tired reflection in the mirror. If she wanted to walk around Camelot without being plagued by people, she would need a disguise. Something to at least hide her hair. Agatha wavered between wearing a cloak with her hood up before choosing a hat instead and stuffing as much of her hair into it as she could. Agatha quitted both bathroom and bedroom as silently as she could and allowed herself a relieved exhale once she was out in the open. Her maids were out of sight and as of that instant, out of mind. Agatha crept through the halls, glad to be rid of the diadem even though it sat in the bag at her side. However she was getting strange looks from some of the guards, and after walking the halls for a solid five minutes and determining she was lost, she had the sinking feeling that the guards did not place her as their princess. On the contrary, with her bed head and tattered pink uniform, she no doubt looked like a strange stowaway that had snuck into the castle. Or perhaps the young guest of the king from his time at the school. Either way, she was not acting like a queen and a fair majority of them did not recognize her as one.

She doubted that they would recognize her even if she wore the crown of Camelot on her head.

Granted, Tedros said that the corrupt advisers of Camelot had strictly monitored the storybooks' distribution. Agatha maneuvered the halls carefully, but was stopped by one of the younger guards, jogging up to her with his sheathed sword slapping at the metal. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe you're allowed to be here. We're all preparing for the coronation of Prince Tedros today."

"I am aware of that. I'm his…" Did she want to say princess? Queen? Girlfriend? True love? The last one seemed more corny than the others, so instead, she said, "friend. He's currently resting but I can surely help out until he is needed."

"You look quite familiar…" He squinted, trying vainly to recall where he had seen her. She prayed he would not remember. It would be much easier to navigate Tedros' vast kingdom as another peasant rather than his princess. Perhaps she should have dyed her hair like Sophie had taught her. She wouldn't hate to be blond, although it would likely bring more attention to her than her black helmet of hair.

Agatha tried to stealthily push a stray strand of hair back up into the hat. "Not likely. I'm just his friend. Maybe you saw us talking in his fairy tale once."

"Maybe that's it," the young knight said. "My pa doesn't let me read too many fairy tales. He thinks they'll give me ideas too big for me."

"There's nothing wrong with big dreams," Agatha soothed. "Speaking of dreams, I remember Tedros telling me that he always dreamed of becoming a good king to Camelot. Could you show me around the castle? Just so I know what's going on, of course."

"Friend or not, miss, we're not supposed to let civilians into the castle until the hour of Prince Tedros' actual coronation."

"Just a small look around. See?" She flashed the white swan of her pinafore to him. "I was in the School for Good. I won't do anything wrong. I just want to look around a bit while Tedros sleeps. He worked really late last night."

"And after the look, you'll leave until his ceremony rolls around?"

"Of course." The thought of being on her own in Camelot's streets was a little unsettling, but she had spent plenty of time alone and doubted that walking down its streets was much different than the streets of Gavaldon.

Off they went, through the stony halls of Camelot that looks more up-kept than they had the night before. The knight escourted her around, explaining different things about Camelot. Some of its history, architectural information and coronation nuances. He had been the rogue scholar of his family who had been serving the ruling kings of Camelot before even Uther Pendragon was born. Agatha asked about the plans for Tedros' coronation and found the whole thing quite elaborate.

"I don't think we need it."

"But it's tradition," the boy spluttered as they passed the excessive flower arrangements and extremely long cape that reminded her of a bridal trail (not that she had looked them up, of course, but Sophie had shown her many a plan in preparation for her fairy tale ending).

"And tradition calls for a three hour ceremony? That's three hours of standing!"

"We are honoured to stand for our king."

"I'm sure you are. But I'm also sure that it would be exhausting. Especially for some of the older members of the kingdom."

They continued through the halls, only stopping when she had a pressing question about the huge portraits or when maids, keenly placing decorations, asked for her advice.

"In the end, they asked for your advice too," Agatha pointed out when the knight got suspicious.

"But why would they ask you in the first place?"

"Maybe it's because you don't have a lot of girls in charge here. There are some things that wouldn't be happening if a woman was in power, you know?"

"Great kings have ruled Camelot and its court for centuries. We haven't had a female ruler in at least a hundred years."

"Perhaps that will change," said Agatha.

"I suppose. The council did mention that Prince Tedros has a princess now."

"Indeed."

It was getting harder to keep her identity hidden but once the knight had escorted her out of castle, shutting the door and locking her out, she became acutely aware that she was in a foreign kingdom with no friends or family to call her own. It was just her and her prince and maybe a little bit of his family. None the less, she was quite alone in this way and felt the distinct lack of Sophie even more than before. With a fair bit of resolve in her body, she moved away from the stone castle and into the village surrounding it. Tedros wasn't kidding when he said that half the people had vacated the lands. There were plenty of houses on every street that was boarded up and abandoned. The drunkards from last night lay now sprawled on pub steps in a deep sleep. The working class trudged about, buzzing half-heartedly about their prince's coronation.

"The prince's coronation?" Agatha sidled up to one of the women trying to rouse a sleeping man from their stoop. "When is that?"

"It's today," the woman sniffed. "It's been years since he was a babe and his father dying was tragic, you know?"

Agatha nodded, trying to look sympathetic with her hat pulled down past her brows. "The prince has become a man now, though sixteen ain't nothing to sneeze at. He could be a lot more prepared than he is now."

"That's what he has Merlin for."

"That old geezer?" She snorted. "Haven't seen that old goat in years. Doubt he's even alive these days."

"Oh. I guess."

"And the prince has a princess now," the woman gave up on the sleeping man and stomped back into her bar. "Wonder if she's anything like that runaway, Guinevere."

"I don't think so," said Agatha, an uncomfortable feeling settling in her chest.

"That woman was a good queen. A bit plain and a bit too gracious, but Good without a doubt. With the exception of her running away, that is." Agatha nodded obediently. "I've heard his princess isn't the fairest either," Agatha stiffened at that, "there's something in their story about her being a soul of pure Good or something like that."

"Yeah she's not so great."

"Never said that." The woman hefted a bucket of water up. "At least we know he won't be straying off for some prettier princess. Not like he couldn't find one."

Agatha gave out a nod again. She was surprised there was some positive rumours floating about the kingdom about her. She would bet her diadem that it was more Merlin's handiwork than anything else. "Do you have their story?"

"Somewhere around here, yeah. One of the men at the palace was handing out Prince Tedros' story by the dozen. Something about increasing morale before his coronation. Speaking of which," the woman gave her a keen look, "I don't think I've seen you before. Are you in town for the coronation?"

"Yes."

"So many people are coming around or his coronation. We might get some decent business tonight."

"Business has been bad?"

"Generally. You'd be surprised how many tossers come in and try to drink without paying. They think they've got a tab or something."

"Well it must be difficult to live like that. Have you ever thought of moving?"

"Plenty. But Camelot is my home. I'm not moving any time soon." The woman wiped down the tabletops with a wet rag. "Where's the rest of you group? You're here with one of those dignitaries, aren't you?"

"A princess from Maidenville," lied Agatha quickly, "but I'm just one of her maids."

"Do all maids from there walk around as freely as you?"

"Um," Agatha fiddled with her pinafore. "I just escaped actually, and got lost. I've never been here before."

"Well, you can spend time with me until the coronation. I don't quite know how to get you back to your princess but we can figure that out once we get to the palace. How does that sound?"

She gave her a weak smile. "Sounds super."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own The School for Good And Evil**

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 **Chapter 3: Resolution**

"Where's Agatha?"

"My prince, be patient. She is scheduled to be at your ceremony at noon today. You will see her there."

"But I want to see her now," said Tedros, ceasing his pacing to glare at the man deemed 'adviser to the king'. He knew full well that he sounded petulant but he honestly couldn't care at the moment. "I didn't see her when I woke up. What if something happened to her?"

"Rather than that," said the man, "should you not be thinking about the sort of rumours that will be surfacing about you spending time in your princess' quarters outside of wedlock?"

The flush that crawled up Tedros' neck was fast and furiously red. "That's not- I mean we weren't doing anything. She was there when I went to bed, that's all. And I thought it was my room." If his adviser thought that such a question would distract him, he was quickly proven wrong. "I'm going to look for her," he declared, hopping off the podium despite the frantic calls of the man dressing him.

"My prince, be reasonable," soothed the adviser. "The princess is no doubt being prepared for the coronation. We had a traditional dress made for her. She should have been getting the adjustments made on her dress all morning to be on time."

"She hates stuffy dresses," he said. Tedros slowed down with that thought and gave a weak chuckle. "She'll give the seamstress a run for her money."

"That's more like it." The adviser patted Tedros' shoulder and led him back to the podium.

The prince gave him a meaningful look. "I'd still prefer to see her before the coronation."

"It _is_ tradition to wait till the ceremony."

"No. _That's_ marriage. Could one of you get Agatha for me?" he asked, addressing a pair of twittering maids by the door. They nodded, curtsied, and quickly left the room.

"My prince-"

"Quiet now." Placation was one thing, but Tedros was anything if not one to worry after his princess and he would _not_ be lied to by an old stuffy man that had no doubt given his father terrible advice. "I'm almost done with this, and when I finish, I shall set off to look for Agatha myself. I trust nothing has happened to her?"

He watched the man fumble with his scrolls. Colour schemes and blue town maps peeked out from around the man's arms. "Not at all. I am sure she merely went to the kitchen for breakfast."

"I should hope she made it seeing as she doesn't know where the kitchen is." The adviser looked like he was going to faint. "I will see you with my princess next, understand?" he continued coldly.

The old man squeaked his understanding and scampered out of the room. Tedros tried to calm himself. Their story was finally over; completed. He wasn't supposed to lose his princess so soon after The End, was he?

Even after the suit had been put on, his cape clipped to his shoulders, the unsettling feeling lingered. Where was she?

Without his permission, his mind conjured up the image of Agatha riding off into the sunset, leaving him behind with a broken kingdom to rule alone. His mother and Lancelot stood by his side, mourning his loss with him and the fake betrayal left a dry taste in his mouth. He moved to open the door, Excalibur strapped to his waist, and threw it open with a flourish only to be bombarded by a pink blur.

"Teddy! How have you been?"

"Sophie!" he cried, struggling to balance her and traded the feeling for spinning her in place. "You're here!"

"I am." She pulled away with a grin, her fingers still laced decided around his neck. "They told me I had to wait until an hour before your coronation to be come in but I wasn't having that. We're best friends! I thought I would have been treated like an honoured guest. Honestly, Teddy," she said, using the tip of her index finger to tap his nose, "I'm disappointed."

"Sorry, Sophie. They didn't know you were coming. Neither did I, actually. What are you doing here?"

"Well, you said I could visit and frankly the School for Evil was beginning to bore me. The stench in the castle is _un_ believably putrid, but that won't be a matter for long. I just sent out the plans for renovating the School for Evil and let me just say, it's going to look fabulous once the engineer is done working on it!" She ran a hand through her hair. "As much as I'd like to stay for weeks here, though, I'll have to be off tomorrow. I've got a lot more planning to do."

"I'll be sure to let them know to take extra good care of you while you're here." He pulled away from her. "You wouldn't happen to know where Agatha is, would you?"

"I haven't seen her yet, but I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Have you asked Reaper?"

"I haven't even seen the devil," he said, although he hadn't tried very hard to look for Agatha's black cat either.

"Have no fear, Teddy dear. I'll find her." She patted his head. "You look absolutely dashing, by the way."

"Thanks." Tedros shuffled uncomfortably in place. "You know, I'd much prefer to look for her myself. I don't exactly trust those at the palace."

"I know, but don't fret. I will be on my best behaviour and have her ready to be presented by the time your coronation rolls around. You just focus on preparing yourself for the ceremony."

"You don't think she left on purpose, do you?"

Something softened in the green of Sophie's eyes. "She's worked too hard to run away now. Aggie probably just got lost, that's all."

And with that, she was gone, flying out the door just as hurriedly as she had flown in while leaving a new feeling in his chest. Her snakeskin cloak fluttered behind her and Tedros' hand lingered on the hilt of his sword. He could trust Sophie with Agatha, that much he knew, but the rest of the kingdom was not as honourable.

The next couple hours passed in a blur. The maids from earlier had not returned with Agatha and Sophie was nowhere to be seen. New men and women that entered his chambers to ask him pertinent coronation inquiries avoided any and all questions concerning his beloved, and the anxiety that Sophie had sated flared up dangerously. Bells rung through the kingdom, letting all residents know that the gates to the palace would be open for his coronation. He snuck to the window, watching swarms of people rush in through the gates. A woman going the opposite way caught his eye and he realized it was none other than Sophie, her beautiful blonde hair a beacon amidst the dark colours and dusty cobblestones of Camelot. She swam through people, head darting left and right in a way that denoted a light concern rather than the worry that mounted in him. Suddenly, she was waving her arms high up into the air and jumping a bit. The people parted around her, no doubt thinking her crazy but another figure ran up to her instead, the pretty pink of a pinafore peeking out from under a brown cloak.

The two embraced and Sophie's patted the top of the other person's head, swiftly removing the cap and revealing a bob of familiar, black hair.

"Agatha," he breathed, pressing a hand against the glass as his heart settled down. She was _safe_.

As if hearing him, Sophie's companion lifted their head and glanced up to the palace window where he was and waved. He flushed, relief warm in his chest, and leaned against the window frame as Sophie escourted Agatha back into the palace. In a flurry, he straightened his clothes and tried to relax himself although it wasn't doing him much good. When Sophie whisked her into the room, Tedros rushed over to hug her.

Agatha let out a gasp in shock as she was engulfed in his arms. "Where were you?" mumbled Tedros into the itchy brown cowl of Agatha's cloak. Her hair pressed against his cheek tight enough to leave marks; he was sure of it. While his memory of that morning was blurry, he knew that it involved him feeling very at peace with Agatha, and Tedros was glad that that same feeling of peace washed over him now that she was in his embrace.

"Out," she breathed against his shoulder. Agatha had never stressed gentleness or overly affectionate feelings between them but he could tell by the soft words that danced past his arm that she was trying to be as delicate as possible, even though she was anything but. "I wanted to explore. I was just going to head back to prep for the coronation but I decided to put you out of your misery first."

"I thought something happened to you." Her hands came up to hug him back slowly. "I-"

"I'm fine, Tedros. Just a little bit of a mix up and then they wouldn't let me back in. Sophie found me."

He looked up sharply. Sophie was still standing by the door, her violet scales draped over her shoulders regally. For half a second, he felt like a boy being caught stealing from a cookie jar. But the vibrancy he saw in her green eyes held nothing but affection. There was not a hint of jealousy.

"You don't have to thank me," said Sophie when she noticed him staring, "but I _am_ expecting it."

"Thank you," said Tedros, not for the first time grateful that Sophie was on his side.

"Yeah. I had to stomach the urge to ruin it, but I did my nails last night and didn't want to break them. Plus, I'm actually looking forward to this coronation." Then, with a familiar, sweet smile. "You'll make a great king, Tedros."

"Thanks."

"Tedros?" Agatha pulled away from him and looked him over. "Well don't you look royal."

"I am royal."

"You'll be more than royal in about an hour," she said, before a bit of her nose scrunched up at something. "Your cape is very furry, by the way. How many white coat foxes did Camelot kill to make that?"

"As far as I know, these are all fake fur." He tried to catch a bit of the white fluff by his collar from the corner of his eye. Agatha seemed concerned for some reason or another about it. He hoped it wasn't that she was against killing animals. He'd known many princesses like that, and if that were indeed the case, then he might have to do some serious trading with coastal kingdoms and villages that specialized in plant growth. Just imagining the possibility of an increased number of vegetables made him shiver..

"Perhaps goose down?" she offered. "It looks like this collar of yours was made from white rabbit skins."

Tedros crinkled his nose. "I did _not_ need that image, Agatha."

Agatha and Sophie laughed together. "Considering that I taught you everything you know about fashion, that was pretty good," said Sophie.

"Really?"

"Mhmm. But Tedros is right; it's fake fur, so no allergies for you."

"You're allergic to white coat foxes? How is that possible?"

"Technically, I'm just allergic to their fur and considering that I've only ever seen one in my entire life, I think I'll be okay in Camelot. They're more of a northern animal, or so I've been told."

"How does a white coat fox just randomly turn up in a village like Gavaldon?" asked Tedros, finding his princess' allergy more comical than worrying. White coat foxes were ridiculously rare as they hardly ever traveled down from the north for anything.

Smoothly, as if it had been her intention all along, Sophie leaned forward and took Agatha aside. "Who knows. It just sort of happened."

"What-"

"Um, I'm in charge of making her look good, Teddy," Sophie said pointedly, "We'll see you at the ceremony."

"But-"

"We _will_ see you there," assured Agatha, stepping away from Sophie and pressing a quick kiss onto his cheek. "I'll be okay."

"So," he started slowly, "that means you're willing to put on that cupcake of a dress that they've set up in your room for the coronation?"

" _What_?" Agatha choked out as Sophie tugged her back again..

"Okay, then," drawled Sophie, ever eager for damage control. "I will handle the dress and you will have to handle those puffy pants on your own."

Tedros looked down at himself. "My pants are not puffy. They're traditional."

"Traditionally puffy maybe. Fashion changes, dear, tradition or otherwise." Sophie grasped Agatha's hand and led her out the door. "See you later."

They left the room and to his right, the vanity mirror reflected a blond youth with dark under eyes. The reflection's clothes were a smooth with the exception of the blue and gold that crinkled over his chest. Still, their exchange had left him visibly disturbed and the worry, the mere thought they had left him with, lingered.

Could his pants really be _that_ puffy?

* * *

The ceremony itself was full of more pomp and circumstance than she had imagined. With Sophie at her side, she and the rest of Tedros' broken kingdom bonded together to celebrate the crowning of their only heir. Guinevere had only ever had one child with Arthur. Any other potential ones had, according to the records, been miscarriages.

While Agatha had been disappointed that Guinevere could not attend her son's coronation in person, she had a sneaking suspicion that the woman had still found a way to be there; if not physically than in spirit.

While Tedros vowed to be loyal to his kingdom and do other kingly things, Sophie nudged Agatha's shoulder.

"It almost sounds like he's marrying his kingdom."

"He might as well be," Agatha whispered. "He couldn't leave even if he wanted to now. He's bound to Camelot as their king until he dies."

"Guinevere was bound too, but she left."

That much was true. Agatha could not deny that Camelot's last queen had broken her vow to remain loyal to both king and country, despite remaining loyal to the Good in her heart. "He's made his choice."

"Yeah, he has." Sophie's arm squeezed hers. "He's lucky."

"Very." Agatha sighed. "He knows what he wants to do for the rest of his life at sixteen even though we're still just children."

Sophie shrugged. "Sure, but would you really want to know that if you had to wear that fur monstrosity over your shoulders?" Agatha rolled her eyes. "Exactly. In comparison, I have mine, which makes me look like a devilish beauty." Agatha glanced at the cape that trailed along the gown. "Don't you think?"

"Certainly," agreed Agatha, stifling a snicker when Tedros' eyes drew towards her. He frowned and she did her best to smile and wave politely to her prince, who appeared very put out at not being apart of their conversation. But it didn't matter, not truly.

Everything was as it should be. Sophie was at her side, in life and spirit. Her friend had the freedom to go where she pleased and be at peace with herself. And Agatha had a life with a young king to get on with. She had a long way to go, but she was happy. And happy was all she'd ever needed.

* * *

 **Thanks for coming along for the ride! I hope you enjoyed! If you have some time, feel free to leave a quick comment or review in that lovely box below. Until next time!**


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